Jaws dropped as gas prices skyrocketed in the early months of 2014–as much as 150 percent for Peoples Gas customers. CUB is here to answer your collective “huh?” Our Facts on Natural Gas Prices explains the forces behind gas prices, and the steps consumers can take to save money during these…...
You’ll need an aspirin for these headaches
At CUB, we couldn’t do the work we do—saving individual consumers hundreds of dollars on their utility bills, advocating for consumer protections in Springfield, and fighting rate-hike hungry energy companies—without support and input from our members. That’s why we sent a survey out last November asking you to rate your…...
Would the real regulated gas company please stand up?
Annette Evans, consumer rights associate at CUB, recently received a call from a consumer whose gas bill had mysteriously skyrocketed to nearly $600. After some sleuthing, Annette discovered the culprit: without her knowledge, the consumer had been signed up with Nicor Advanced Energy— an unregulated sister company of the utility…...
Rip-off response
Earlier this week, we issued tips to protect yourself from bad deals in the natural gas market. More than 1,800 of you responded to our accompanying survey, and about 56 percent of you said you had encountered a pitch from an alternative gas supplier. Here were some of your experiences: “The person…...
Put up your dukes: Time to take on rate hikes
In 2014, CUB is fighting more than half-a-billion dollars in rate-hike battles from ComEd, Ameren, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas (see the chart below). In response, we’ve established an emergency Consumer Defense Fund and we have a challenge for you: Help us raise $50,000 by April 30th to cover…...
